The race towards a place in next year’s FIFA World Cup enters a crucial stage as of Monday, 17 March when the African qualifiers resume across the continent.
The global showpiece will for the first time have a guaranteed 9 representatives and possibly a tenth in the newly expanded version set to take place in the United States between 11 June – 19 July 2026.
With four rounds of matches already played, Match Day 5 of the qualifiers has lined up some appetising encounters, as the race to a top finish that guarantees qualification gradually takes shape.
The action officially gets underway in Group E on Monday, 16 March when third placed Tanzania play host to Congo who are yet to register a point in their past three matches.
Four exciting fixtures take place on Wednesday, 19 March with Liberia taking on top of the table Tunisia in Group H.
Cameroon will be looking at extending their lead in Group D when they take on bottom of the table Eswatini, while Central Africa Republic look to climb up the group when they take on third placed Madagascar.
Thursday, 20 March sees a total of nine mouth-watering encounters taking place across the continent. Some of the marquee fixtures to look out for on include Zimbabwe playing host to Benin, Malawi welcoming the Brave Warriors of Namibia who have had an impressive start so far, as well as Cape Verde taking on Mauritius.
Later on in the evening, Libya will be home to Angola in the tightly contested Group D, while the Eagles of Mali travel to Comoros to conclude Thursday’s fixtures.
Match Day 5 of the qualifiers concludes on Friday, 21 March with a total of 13 fixtures taking place.
With three draws and a loss to their campaign, the Super Eagles will be looking at securing their first win when they take on top of the table Rwanda in Group C. South Africa play host to Lesotho in the same group, as they eye a vital victory that could see them top the group should the result in the Nigeria and Rwanda match go their way.
In other exciting fixture to look out for, Group A leaders Egypt have a tough assignment travel to Ethiopia who are desperate for a win following three draws and a loss.
African champions, Cote d’Ivoire who lead Group F by a narrow point ahead of Gabon face third placed Burundi are also within reach of a top spot.
The Lions of Teranga will be aiming at nothing short of a victory to possibly go top of Group B ahead of Sudan when they face each other in what promises to be an explosive top of the table encounter on Friday.
FIFA World Cup Qualifiers Fixtures – Match Day 5:
Monday, 17 March
16h00 GMT: Tanzania vs Congo
Wednesday, 19 March
16h00 GMT: Liberia vs Tunisia
16h00 GMT: Eswatini vs Cameroon
16h00 GMT: Central African Republic vs Madagascar
16h00 GMT: Mozambique vs Uganda
16h00 GMT: Malawi vs Namibia
16h00 GMT: Zimbabwe vs Benin
16h00 GMT: Cape Verde vs Mauritius
16h00 GMT: Sierra Leone vs Guinea-Bissau
Thursday, 20 March
19h00 GMT: Libya vs Angola
19h00 GMT: Gabon vs Seychelles
19h00 GMT: Gambia vs Kenya
19h00 GMT: Comoros vs Mali
Friday, 21 March
13h00 GMT: Equatorial Guinea vs Sao Tomé and Principe
13h00 GMT: Botswana vs Algeria
16h00 GMT: Rwanda vs Nigeria
16h00 GMT: Burkina Faso vs Djibouti
16h00 GMT: DR Congo vs South Sudan
16h00 GMT: South Africa vs Lesotho
16h00 GMT: Togo vs Mauritania
19h00 GMT: Ghana vs Chad
19h00 GMT: Burundi vs Cote d’Ivoire
19h00 GMT: Sudan vs Senegal
21h00 GMT: Guinea vs Somalia
21h00 GMT: Ethiopia vs Egypt
21h00 GMT: Niger vs Morocco
Source (Fixtures were gotten from CAF)